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1 of 9Want an authentic hotrod? This perfectly restored ’32 Ford competition coupe was built in 1950, won multiple class records at Bonneville and El Mirage and drag raced in the 1950s. Now back to original with Mercury flathead power.

Photo by Brian Douglas

2 of 9Bruce Canepa behind the wheel of a Porsche 917 at last year's Rennsport Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Photo by Roger Hart

3 of 9This Shadow Mark II has entertained Concours crowds and run Goodwood. It’s ready for vintage racing if you’re ready for its 1,200-horsepower and 1,800-pound feet of torque.

Photo by Brian Douglas

4 of 9Really big Cadillacs have plenty of room to stretch out at Canepa.

Photo by Courtesy of Bruce Canepa

5 of 9A gaggle of vintage Porsches join hot rods in the Canepa lot.

Photo by Courtesy of Bruce Canepa

6 of 9Looking for a 959? 356? Rare racer? Canepa’s showroom is the shopping destination.

Photo by Brian Douglas

7 of 9The last Porsche 962 (done up in ADA construction livery) driven by Derek Bell and son Justin along with Tiff Needell is fully restored and ready race if you’ve set aside some mad money.

Photo by Brian Douglas

8 of 9Rods and customs are all part of the show at Canepa's Cars & Coffee.

Cars & Coffee & More: Bruce Canepa brings a new twist to an old tradition

September 26, 2012

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The concept of “Cars & Coffee”, where automotive enthusiasts of all stripes, hot rods to exotic sports cars, meet at a parking lot on a weekend morning is a popular pastime in some communities. Tires are gently kicked, stories exchanged and new friends with like interests are made.

Although nearly every metropolitan area has occasional gearhead get-togethers, Southern California's Cars & Coffee at Ford's former Premier Auto Group parking lot in Irvine is the reigning champ. Even Jay Leno pays an occasional visit to this Saturday morning gathering of automotive art and fashion.

California's car culture is not all contained in the lower part of the state. San Francisco's Bay Area gave birth to the Oakland Roadster Show, is headquarters for the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association and home to two major racing facilities. It's also headquarters for a trio of automotive enterprises founded by Bruce Canepa, a certified car guy who channels his automotive enthusiasm through motorsports, car restoration, aerodynamic “big rig” and SUV body conversions and collector car sales.

Bruce is a competitive driver with podium finishes in major league sports car racing and a standing Pikes Peak record. He brings the same competitive passion to classic car restoration, with first place awards in seven Concours d'Elegance competitions in less than two years, including the fabled greens of Pebble Beach. As luck would have it, Canepa loves to share his automotive passion with fellow enthusiasts and has created his own cars-and-coffee congregation at his company headquarters near the beach community of Santa Cruz.

Canepa Cars & Coffee may not yet have the quantity of amazing cars in the parking lot to equal the established Southern California rival, but Bruce has a secret weapon. His landmark headquarters contains two floors of collector cars, one his race-car museum, the other with a variety of show and race-ready vehicles for sale.

How deep is the collector car selection? On a recent visit, everything from BMW M1 and Jaguar XJ220 in the rare sports car category to a 1949 Bentley Mark VI Woodie and a gaggle of '32 Ford hot rods were on the polished floor. Canepa loves Porsche, so there's always a great assortment of rare offerings. Looking for a 1958 Super Speedster? A mint, street legal 959? This is the place. For vintage racing, the stellar assortment included the rare Shadow Mark II Can-Am car and a large enough stable of Porsche racers to put your own field together.

Bruce Canepa opens his entire facility to visitors, including the state-of-art restoration shop, museum and collector car showroom. It's hard to visit here without finding a few cars to fall in love with. The next Canepa Cars and Coffee is Oct. 13, http://www.canepa.com/news/news.html. And if that date doesn't jive with your plans, visitors are welcome during business hours and the tour is free.